Venturi and nozzle construction



Dec. 13, 1966 w. J. EKEY 3,291,051

VENTURI AND NOZZLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILL/HM J. EKEY RTTOENEYS FIG-I Dec. 13, 1966 w. J. EKEY VENTURI AND NOZZLE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 2, 1964 INVENTOR. MILL/HM a. EKEY BY 6 W HTTOFPA/EYS United States Patent M Ohio Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 335,095 3 Claims. (Cl. 1035) This invention relates to jet assisted centrifugal pumps and is particularly concerned with the jet-centuri tube structure pertaining to the pump, and to the parts associated with the impeller such as the wearing ring at the inlet of the impeller and the diffuser plate surrounding the impeller.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a centrifugal pump which will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a jet assisted centrifugal pump having a novel nozzle and venturi tube combination associated therewith.

A particular object of the present invention is the provision of a greatly improved venturi tube and nozzle combination for use with jet assisted centrifugal pumps and similar devices.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a jet assisted centrifugal pump in which substantially all of the parts of the pump that are subjected to wear because of fluid passing therethrough at high velocity are formed of a wear resistant plastic material.

The objects referred to above, as well as still other objects and advantages of the present invention, will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical longitudinal section showing a jet assisted centrifugal pump according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the nozzle and venturi of the pump, and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the venturi tube and nozzle combination according to the present invention as it might appear when used with a pump convertible from deep well to shallow well operation.

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, the pump in FIGURE 1, comprising main housing member it), having at the left side of FIGURE 1 a cylindrical portion 12 for receiving electric motor stator 14, which is retained in position by the screw means 16 and spacer means 18. Toward the right side of stator 14, substantially vertical partition means 20 are provided which include a rearwardly disposed partition wall 22 and a forwardly disposed partition wall 24 integrally connected. Partition wall 22 has a central hub portion in which are mounted bearings 26 that rotatably support shaft 28 of the electric motor, which shaft carries rotor 30 inside stator 14.

Rightwardly of bearings 26, shaft 28 extends through a central aperture in partition wall 24 and is threaded into .a sleeve 32, which forms the hub portion of pump impeller 34 that is of plastic material and which is molded about sleeve member 32 so as to form an integral unit therewith.

The aforementioned partition Walls 22 and 24 define a cooling passage 36 t-herebetween, which communicates with the right end of cylindrical portion 12 via aperture 38 at the top, while at the bottom the cooling passage exhausts to the atmosphere through aperture 40 formed in the bottom wall of housing 10. Cooling air is caused to flow axially through the motor and with a part of the air passing through the aforementioned passage 36 by 3,29lfl5l Patented Dec. 13, 1966 fan means 42 mounted on the left end of rotor 30. Fan means 42 draws air inwardly through suitable openings in cover member 44 that closes the motor chamber on the left side.

The passage 36 is also availed of for preventing any leakage from the pump portion of the device from getting into the parts of the electric motor by mounting on shaft 28, Within the region of passage 36 a slinger element 46 which will throw water or oil or the like moving along the shaft radially outwardly into passage 36.

Between the back of impeller 34 and the facing side of partition wall 24, and in surrounding relation to sleeve 32, is a rotary seal 48 of substantially conventional nature, so that the pump chamber rightwardly of partition wall 24 is substantially completely isolated from the motor chamber to the left side of the partition wall.

Housing 40 has a substantially cylindrical portion 50 extending rightwardly from partition wall 24 and defining a pumping chamber for receiving the liquid pumped by impeller 34. Portion 50 is closed toward the right side by a suction head 52, held in place on the pump housing by cap screws 54 and sealed thereto by gasket means 56. Suction head 52 has an annular radially extending surface 58 thereon facing partition wall 24, and between this area and shoulder means 60 formed on partition wall 24 there is retained the plastic diffuser member 62 which may be of substantially conventional construction with regard to the arrangement of the diffuser passages therein.

It will be noted that the diffuser plate or member is supported within the pumping chamber without cap screws or bolts, and, in assembling the pump, the diffuser member is put in place and the suction head is secured to the pump housing, and this completes the mounting of the diffuser in the pump. It will also be noted that the radial annular surface 58 of suction head 52 closes the diffuser passages 64 of diffuser 62 on one side so that the molding of the diffuser from plastic material can easily be accomplished.

The chamber within portion 50' of the pump housing communicates with the space surrounding diffuser 62 by way of a screen 66, and the space on the opposite side of screen 66 from diffuser 62. is then communicated by way of passage means in the pump housing with a chamber 68 adapted for having discharge conduit means 70 connected therewith.

At a lowermost portion of the pump housing, at the right side of part 50, there is provided a port 72 that communicates with a chamber 74 in the suction head. This chamber supplies water to the nozzle chamber 76 of venturi tube 78 by way of lateral ports 80 in the venturi tube. This water, in passing through throat 82 of the venturi tube, creates a reduced pressure at the exit end of the nozzle 84, which is disposed in inlet passage 86 of the suction head, which passage is connected to suction conduit 88.

Venturi tube 78, toward the impeller end thereof, is threaded at 90 into a wearing ring 92, which in turn is threaded at 94 into the suction head. The wearing ring 92 at its impeller end surrounds the axial flange 96 of the impeller, whereas the extreme end of venturi tube 78 is disposed inside flange 96, as will be seen in FIGURE 1.

The combination of the nozzle 84 and venturi tube 78 are sealed to the suction head by an O-ring 98 to isolate chamber 74 from inlet passage 86.

The construction of the venturi tube and nozzle, according to the present invention, will be seen in FIGURE 2, wherein it will be noted that the righthand end of the venturi tube, which is enlarged to form nozzle chamber 76, is provided with the aforementioned apertures 80 on both sides thereof, and that extending axially along the 3 walls of the venturi tube, from the end thereof, are the incisions 100. The provision of incisions 100 will permit the enlarged right end of the venturi tube to expand so that nozzle '84 can be inserted therein.

The nozzle, when inserted into the end of the venturi tube, is latched therein by latch elements 102, which have inclined front faces and radial rear faces, and which fall into the apertures 104 provided therefor in the venturi tube.

As will be seen in FIGURE 1, after the nozzle is assembled with the venturi tube, and is then threaded into the wearing ring 92, assembly of the suction head 52 on the pump housing will lock the venturi tube and nozzle in assembled relation because the split end of the venturi tube will at that time be confined within a close fitting cylindrical region of inlet passage 88.

FIGURE 2 will also show that nozzle 84 is annularly grooved at 106 for receiving the aforementioned O-ring 98 that seals between the nozzle-venturi tube combination and the inlet passage 86.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the pump, according to the present invention, is adapted for being manufactured relatively inexpensively, and that it can easily be assembled, and that it can readily be serviced at any time.

A wider range of synthetic materials are available for the construction of the diffuser plate and impeller and wear ring and nozzle-venturi tu-be combination, and among the preferred materials, at least for the nozzle-venturi tube combination, is Delrin or Teflon, both of which are smooth, slippery, somewhat resilient plastic materials having extremely low water absorption characteristics. These materials do not abrade easily from sand and fines passing through the pump, and can easily be molded to exactly the desired shape. The mention of these materials as a suitable material, however, does not exclude the use o other plastic materials having suitable strength and resistance to abrasion, and having low water absorption characteristics.

For the impeller and wear ring and diffuser plate, the phenolics would be among the preferred materials.

FIGURE 3 shows a pumping arrangement which can be converted from deep well to shallow well operation. In FIGURE 3 the pump casing 50 has a suction head 110 thereon having an opening coaxial with the inlet of the impeller and to which opening an inlet conduit can be connected for direct communication with the pump impeller.

The pumping chamber in the pump casing which collets pressure fluid likewise has an opening therein which can be connected to a conduit leading to a nozzle-venturi tube combination remote from the pump, for example, within the suction conduit within the well being pumped.

When the pump is used for shallow well operation, as it is shown in FIGURE 3, the suction head 110 has a fitting 112 thereon and sealed as bv a gasket 114. Fitting 112 directs pressure fluid into the openings 80 of the venturi tube and in this manner will create a suction in nozzle 84 to draw water into conduit 88.

It will be noted that the arrangement of FIGURE 3 still employs the same nozzle and venturi tube and the same wearing ring 94 disclosed in connection with the first modification. This same unit would also be employed if the pump were arranged for deep well operation with the nozzle and venturi tube remote from the pump except in that case the threaded element 94 would not be considered a wearing ring but as a support member for supporting the venturi tube and nozzle combination.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions; and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modificationsc within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a centrifugal pump; a casing having a pumping chamber open on one side and having wall means on the other side, an impeller rotatable in the chamber, a hub on the said wall means of the housing projecting toward the back of the impeller, a diffuser mounted on the hub and projecting outwardly to beyond the periphery of the impeller and axially about the periphery of the impeller, a suction head secured to said casing closing the open side thereof and clampingly engaging said diffuser, said suction head having an opening adjacent said impeller c0- axial therewith and also having a suction inlet coaxial with said opening and spaced therefrom, said impeller having a flange surrounding the inlet thereof projecting toward said opening in the suction head, a wearing bushing in said opening surrounding said flange, a venturi tube mounted in said bushing having its discharge end telescopically engaging said flange, and a nozzle mounted in the venturi tube at the end thereof opposite said impeller, said suction inlet including a region telescopically receiving the nozzle end of said venturi tube.

2. A centrifugal pump according to claim 1 in which said bushing is threaded into said opening from the impeller side of the suction head and said venturi tube is threaded into said bushing.

3. A centrifugal pump according to claim 1 in which said bushing is threaded into said opening from the impeller side of the suction head and said venturi tube is threaded into said bushing and at least one of said venturi tube and nozzle comprises sealing means sealingly engaging said suction head in the region of said suction inlet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,468 6/1913 Pribil 103-262 2,677,327 5/1954 MacNeille et al. 103-5 2,784,987 3/1957 Corcoran 285322 2,938,471 5/1960 Jacuzzi 103-262 3,063,377 11/1962 Stanley et al. 1035 3,166,020 1/1965 Cook 103262 MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

W. J. KRAUSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP; A CASING HAVING A PUMPING CHAMBER OPEN ON ONE SIDE AND HAVING WALL MEANS ON THE OTHER SIDE, AN IMPELLER ROTATABLE IN THE CHAMBER, A HUB ON THE SAID WALL MEANS OF THE HOUSING PROJECTING TOWARD THE BACK OF THE IMPELLER, A DIFFUSER MOUNTED ON THE HUB AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY TO BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF THE IMPELLER AND AXIALLY ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF THE IMPELLER, A SUCTION HEAD SECURED TO SAID CASING CLOSING THE OPEN SIDE THEREOF AND CLAMPINGLY ENGAGING SAID DIFFUSER, SAID SUCTION HEAD HAVING AN OPENING ADJACENT SAID IMPELLER COAXIAL THEREWITH AND ALSO HAVING A SUCTION INLET COAXIAL WITH SAID OPENING AND SPACED THEREFROM, SAID IMPELLER HAVING A FLANGE SURROUNDING THE INLET THEREOF PROJECTING TOWARD SAID OPENING IN THE SUCTION HEAD, A WEARING BUSHING IN SAID OPENING SURROUNDING SAID FLANGE, A VENTURI TUBE MOUNTED IN SAID BUSHING HAVING ITS DISCHARGE END TELESCOPICALLY ENGAGING SAID FLANGE, AND A NOZZLE MOUNTED IN THE VENTURI TUBE AT THE END THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID IMPELLER, SAID SECTION INLET INCLUDING A REGION TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVING THE NOZZLE END OF SAID VENTURI TUBE. 